Page 40 of The Bear's Blooming Mate

Philip chuckled to himself as he rinsed the shampoo. “Patience,” he murmured aloud. The vineyard had been a great teacher, showing him the importance of watching, waiting, and trusting the process. He could already see Elsbeth opening up to him, like a flower unfurling its petals to the sun. All he needed to do was create the right conditions and trust fate to do the rest.

In the same way, he trusted the vines.

After toweling off, Philip pulled on clean jeans and a button-up shirt he’d bought some time ago but had never gotten around to wearing. He ran a hand through his damp hair and took a deep breath. The nerves were still there, but tempered now with a quiet confidence that everything would turn out all right.

It will,his bear said.It has to.

When he returned to the kitchen, Leanne turned from arranging flowers on the dining table and nodded approvingly. “That’s better. Much better.”

“Glad you approve,” Philip said. “Now, what can I do to help?”

“You can lay the table,” Leanne said as she checked the contents of the oven. “There’s just the four of us.”

“Okay,” Philip said, going to the cupboard for plates.

That’s a relief,his bear said.I had suspected everyone would have turned up to dinner to meet our mate.

So did I,Philip confessed, glad his mate was not going to be overwhelmed by the Thornberg clan.

“I figured Elsbeth could meet everyone else once you had explained everything to her.”

Everything.That was such a big, complicated word.

“Mom?” he asked as he set the table. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course, honey.” She glanced at him over her shoulder. “You know you can.”

“How did you feel when Dad told you…everything? About...us. About shifters.” The question had been weighing on him all day. He knew the story of how his dad had told his mom. But he’d never truly considered how Leanne might have felt.

Leanne’s laugh was as warm and rich as the sauce she was stirring on the stove. “Relieved.”

“Relieved?” Philip paused, plate in hand. “Because you knew there was a connection between you, but you didn’t know exactly what it was?”

“Oh no,” Leanne replied, stirring the sauce one final time. “I was relieved he wasn’t an axe murderer, or something.”

“An axe murderer?” Philip turned his full attention to his mom.

Does Dad have a secret past we are not aware of?his bear asked.

I have no clue,Philip replied.

“Well, I could tell he was hiding something from me, and I didn’t think he was a secret millionaire, or a criminal mastermind...” She laughed. “So, when he told me he was a bear shifter and we were mates, I was relieved. I was never the sort of girl who would have let herself fall for a bad boy.”

Philip laughed and went back to laying the table, carefully arranging the silverware beside each plate.

I wonder what Elsbeth thinks we are hiding,his bear said.

Philip tugged his brows together. He hadn’t thought of things that way. “So, Elsbeth will sense there’s a connection between us?” Philip asked his mom, more somber now.

“Of course, the mating bond might not be as strong for her, but your mate will still feel it.” Leanne set the spoon down and came to him. “This will all be confusing for her, son.”

Philip nodded. “I was going to tell her last night, but then she opened up about how much she missed her mom and, well, it just didn’t seem like the right time.”

“Then it wasn’t,” Leanne said, placing a comforting hand on his upper arm. “But you will know when it is.”

“I hope so.” He nodded and sighed. “When you found out, you never thought about running away?”

“Oh no,” Leanne said, her eyes distant. “I knew from the first moment I saw your father, he was the one for me.”

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